A planned “hyperscale” data center in rural Utah, backed by celebrity investors, is facing significant public and political opposition. The center is expected to use more than double Utah’s current electricity consumption, in a state known for its development-friendly stance and “industry” motto.
Proposed by Kevin O’Leary from “Shark Tank,” the Stratos Project would cover 40,000 acres and demand 9 gigawatts of power, potentially increasing the state’s carbon emissions by 64 percent. Although its water requirements are unknown, it is set to be located near the shrinking Great Salt Lake, which is anticipated to reach a record-low elevation following an exceptionally dry winter.
Robert Davies, a physics professor at Utah State University, warns that this project could create a massive heat island, severely impacting the local ecology. Davies estimates that the completed data center would cover an area similar to Washington, D.C., making it the largest globally, and could raise nighttime temperatures by up to 28 degrees Fahrenheit.
“I suspected it would not be good,” Davies commented. “What I’ve found is, it’s so much worse than I even thought it would be.”
The Stratos Project, publicized in April, received approval from Box Elder County’s commissioners. Despite the approval by influential state agencies, the commissioners claimed they could not stop it, dismissing concerns from over 1,000 attendees. Governor Spencer Cox has since moderated his support amid widespread public dissent.
“Many are asking questions about water, air quality, energy, land use, and the long-term impact on rural Utah,” Cox stated in a thread on X in response to the backlash. “Those are real concerns, and all Utahns should expect clear standards and accountability.”
This situation in Utah exemplifies a growing trend across the United States, where data centers are facing bipartisan resistance due to their impact on water resources and energy costs.
While two other large data center projects are proposed in Utah, they haven’t faced the same level of opposition as the Stratos Project. Critics point to the state’s recent efforts to conserve water and invest in refilling the Great Salt Lake, which is crucial as the lake’s drying bed poses a health risk to millions in Utah’s urban areas.
Constructing a potentially water-intensive, heat-generating facility near such a fragile environment seems contradictory to these efforts.
“The greed behind this deal is clearly blinding the officials to just how much is at stake for the rest of us,” wrote Monika Norwid, a Salt Lake City resident, in a protest to the state’s Division of Water Rights. “I refuse to let this greed imperil our already fragile wildlife, I refuse to allow some useless technology steal the rest of our insufficient water for a project that is way beyond the scale of this area.”
O’Leary, in an interview with CNN, minimized the project’s environmental impact, asserting that Stratos will “not destroy air quality” or “drain the Great Salt Lake.”
Austin Pritchett, co-founder of West GenCo, which is collaborating with O’Leary Digital Limited on the project, stated that they plan to buy about 3,000 acre-feet of on-site water rights and already have 10,000 acre-feet under contract from Snowville if needed.
This water supply could meet the basic needs of over 20,000 households in Utah. So far, Utah’s Division of Water Rights has received only one application related to the project—to transfer 1,900 acre-feet from the Bar H Ranch’s irrigation use. Although this application was withdrawn, a representative indicated it would be resubmitted, and more applications are expected soon.
Some scientists express concerns that the project’s energy demands and resulting heat could transform the area’s climate to resemble the Sahara.
The Stratos Project plans to build its own power plant, likely fueled by natural gas from the Ruby Pipeline, which runs from Wyoming through Nevada, Oregon, and California. The site was selected partly due to this pipeline, according to state officials.
“It could generate power at a significant level,” said Paul Morris, executive director of Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority, at an April meeting. “This location was picked because of the gas pipeline.”
Rick Egan / The Salt Lake Tribune
Davies, the physicist, has calculated the project’s scale, and the results are concerning.
“Nine gigawatts, that’s a number that’s really challenging to get your brain around,” he said. “Communicating the scale has been a real problem.”
The project is expected to produce around 16 gigawatts of thermal energy. This begins with on-site power generation, which produces 7 to 8 gigawatts of waste heat due to the 57 percent efficiency of gas plants, according to the Energy Information Administration.
When the electricity reaches the data center, every watt is converted into heat, Davies explained, as is typical when any device uses power.
Usually, waste heat from electricity usage dissipates in various locations, but the Stratos Project will release about 16 gigawatts of thermal energy directly into Hansel Valley. This is equivalent to releasing the energy of 23 atomic bombs into the environment daily, Davies stated.
While this won’t cause explosions or radiation, the heat could severely impact the local ecosystem.
“What happens if you deposit that much energy continuously into a topography like this?” Davies asked. “Right at the north end of the Great Salt Lake, a watershed that’s in collapse. A high-desert environment? A valley?”
Davies suggests that the heat could elevate local temperatures by 5 degrees F during the day and up to 28 degrees at night.
“That’s the difference between Utah’s semi-arid climate and the Sahara Desert,” said Ben Abbott, an ecology professor at Brigham Young University, who reviewed Davies’ findings. “This would absolutely change the landscape.”
The increase in evaporation and the potential collapse of the dew point could have devastating effects on wildlife, plants, and the fertility of surrounding land, according to Abbott and Davies. Abbott suspects Hansel Valley could become another dust source for the Wasatch Front, alongside the drying bed of the Great Salt Lake.
“I’m happy to be further educated. Maybe I’m getting something wrong here,” Davies said. “But that is kind of the point, right? You literally have a hyperscale project that is getting no due diligence.”
Salt Lake Tribune reporter Samantha Moilanen contributed to this story.
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